When you ask Ohio Governor Ted Strickland who has left an indelible mark on who he is today, he’s quick to answer.

“The most important influences in my life have been teachers.”

“Teachers have incredible power and monumental influence. What’s most important…is that (teachers) need to be respected by the government.”

Governor Strickland has begun to speak publicly about his 6 point plan to improve the educational system in the state of Ohio. Officially unreleased at this point, his plan leaves no student—or teacher—behind. Strickland recently spoke exclusively to The CEA Voice about his 6 point plan.

The Southfield Board of Education in East Lansing, Michigan voted recently to place pink slips in the mailboxes of all of the district’s bus drivers, aides, maintenance workers and custodians– over 350 union jobs in total.

The district isn’t leaving those positions unfilled, however. In the same vote, they decided to privatize those jobs, outsourcing them to two for-profit school service companies.

The Michigan Education Association’s affiliate that represented the employees (SMESPA) presented a package to the board that would have cut costs to the district by approximately $18 million over the three years of the pact and created cost-sharing between the union and the district. Despite this extremely generous offer, the school board still voted 5-2 against the proposal.